Abdonminal Exerciser

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an exercise machine in which the person exercising straps their feet to a moveable carriage which is guided by a track. When grasping the handholds the person exercising can pull their feet from the front position to the rear position, exercising upper body together with stomach and back muscles.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates generally to an exercise assistance machine. Morespecifically, the invention relates to an abdominal exercising machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Exercising is often and frequently accomplished with the help of anexercise machine that provides support and guides the motion of theexerciser's arms and legs so that the desired motion is obtained.

Some machines such as cycling machines provide resistance by using winddrag, while other machines use weight, either external or the weight ofthe exercising person, to provide resistance. One of the most difficultbody areas to exercise is the abdomen and back muscles. This inventionsolves that problem by providing intensive exercise for the abdomen andback muscles using a simple machine to guide motion of the legs from afront to rear position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a machine used to assist the user inexercising the user's abdominal muscles, along with other muscle groupsincluding the back, legs and upperbody.

In general, the invention features an exercise machine in which the feetof the user are positioned on a moveable apparatus, referred to hereinas a carriage, which rides on one or more rails or tracks, and handholdswhich allow the exerciser to support their upper body. In a preferredembodiment of the invention, the user starts with their legs extended tothe front, then lifting the body with the handholds, the user pullstheir feet back into a contracted position under their body. The userthen extends their feet behind them until their legs are straight, beingsubstantially in a push-up position. The exercise repeats the motion inthe opposite direction, pulling their legs forward until they arecontracted underneath the user's body, then extending them forward infront of their body. The user then repeats the motions, alternatingforward and backward.

When using the exercise machine of certain embodiments of the presentinvention, the user exercises the upper body by supporting their ownweight and exercises the legs, abdomen and back muscles, by the forwardand backward motion.

Among the advantages of the invention may be one or more of thefollowing: the resistance provided by the moving carriage may beadjusted to provide different exercise experiences. The location andheight of the handholds may be adjusted to provide different exerciseexperiences. The unit is light weight, and can be collapsed for ease ofstorage, thereby encouraging its use in a home setting. Another aspectof the invention is the carriage guiding the exerciser's feet can beadjusted to provide more or less resistance to meet the needs of theuser.

It is an object of this invention to provide an exercise assistancemachine for assisting a user in exercising the abdominal muscles, aswell as other muscles.

These and other objects of the present invention will become morereadily apparent from a reading of the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein likereference numerals indicate similar parts, and with further reference tothe appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrative of the best modein which applicant has contemplated applying the principals is set forthin the following description and is shown in the drawings and isparticularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appendedclaims. The invention may take physical form in certain parts andarrangements of parts, numerous embodiments of which will be describedin detail in the specification and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings which form a part hereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top elevational view of an embodiment of the exercisemachine of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of an embodiment of the exercisemachine of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a top elevational view of an embodiment of the exercisemachine of the invention with a user's feet extended to the front;

FIG. 4 is a top elevational view of an embodiment of the exercisemachine of the invention with a user's feet underneath the user; and

FIG. 5 is a top elevational view of an embodiment of the exercisemachine of the invention with a user's feet extended to the rear.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes ofillustrating numerous embodiments of the invention only and not forpurposes of limiting the same, the figures illustrate the novel idea ofan abdominal exerciser and its use.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, various embodiments of exercise machine 1 ofthe present invention include carriage 8, at least one track 2, and atleast two handholds 6. Generally, carriage 8 is configured to travelalong at least one track 2. At least two handholds 6 are available for auser of exercise machine 1 to support their body weight while operatingexercise machine 1. During operation of exercise machine 1 of apreferred embodiment, user 30, shown in FIGS. 3-5, positions themselvesbetween handholds 6, with their feet positioned on carriage 8, legsextended in front of their body. User 30 draws their legs inward, suchthat their legs are bent beneath them, then extends their legsbackwards, such that there front is facing downwards and their legs arefully extended behind them.

In certain embodiments of the invention, as shown in FIG. 1, carriage 8may include foot positioners 12 to guide the user in the placement oftheir feet on carriage 8. Foot positioners may take the form ofindentations, markings, or any other indication capable of indicatingthe proper location and positioning of the user's feet while using theexercise machine. In other embodiments of the invention, footpositioners may also include straps or other means of affixing theuser's feet to the carriage. Foot positioners are not required, however,and certain embodiments of the invention may not utilize any footpositioners on the carriage. In certain embodiments of the invention thecarriage may be coated in a rough coating to prevent the user's feetfrom slipping from the carriage during use.

In embodiments of the invention, carriage 8 is configured to travelalong at least one track 2. In certain embodiments of the invention, thecarriage may pivot as it is moved by the user, such that the weight ofthe user's body being supported by the carriage is substantiallyperpendicular to the direction of the pivot of the carriage. In apreferred embodiment, the carriage may ride along the track by usingwheels 9 which are guided by the track 2, as shown in FIG. 1. In furtherembodiments, the carriage may guide along the track by using ballbearings, or a specialized track system that allows the carriage toglide using any number of means including magnetism, or a groove andtrack system, or any other track system that allows the carriage to moveover the at least one track.

The tracks 2 shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 are railsattached by a cross-member 17 to provide greater stability and endblocks 15 to keep the carriage from disengaging from the track 2.Alternatively, in further embodiments, the track can be a grove cut intoa surface which supplies the guidance to the wheel 8. If the wheel istraveling on a track 2 that consists of a rail, the wheel 8 can have aconcave end surface 18 which keeps the wheel 8 on the rail. The wheels 9and axle 10 can have their resistance to motion varied by a damper 11 tothe axle 10 or the wheel 8. This allows the user to adjust theresistance needed to move the carriage and increases difficulty inexercising.

At least one track 2 can also be accomplished using a single rail orguide wires to align the travel of the carriage. It is further foreseenthat more than one track can be utilized. In embodiments having morethan one track, the carriage would be configured to integrate with thenumber of tracks. For example, an embodiment having two tracks wouldfurther have two wheels or other means of guiding the carriage on theunderside of the carriage, one for each track. Other embodiments arewithin the scope of the following claims. For example, otherconfigurations of the tracks and carriage can be used.

In certain embodiments of the invention it is foreseen that a base or asurround may be attached to track 2. The base or surround is notessential for the operation of the exercise machine, but may be includedfor aesthetic reasons or to increase the stability of the unit. Incertain embodiments the base may extend down the entire length of thetrack, or may extend down only a portion of the track.

Most embodiments of the invention have two handholds, one for each ofthe user's hands. One handhold will be positioned on either side of theat least one track. In embodiments of the invention, the handholds 6 canpivot as the user's position changes, such that the handholds areperpendicular to the force exerted on them by the user's body weight. Infurther embodiments of the invention, then handholds 6 can be lockedwith a clamp 7 to keep them in position while the user is exercising. Inyet further embodiments of the invention the handholds 6 need not beaffixed to the track 2 with supports 4, and can be free standing unitswith the bottom support for the handhold 6 being a rectangular platformor tubular metal configured in the shape of a T or H, or other form toprovide support and stability.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the handholds may have paddingor other additional features to add to the comfort to the user duringuse of the exercise machine. In further embodiments, the handholds mayfurther have indentations or other indications to guide the properpositioning of the user's hands. In further embodiments, the handholdcan further be adjustable as to height to accommodate the userregardless of the attachment to track 2 or base. Another variation wouldallow the handholds to travel freely on the supports 3 making thedifficulty greater for the user. In certain embodiments the supports 3can be reinforced by an end piece 5.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1 shows optionalhinges 13 or joints 13 that allow for ease in disassembly or folding ofthe exercise machine for ease in storage. By the user supporting theuser's body with the handholds 6, the entire upper body is exercised.The repetition of the motion of moving the carriage from its position of3(a) to 3(c) provides exercise to legs, abdomen and back.

The operation of the exercise machine is illustrated in FIGS. 3-5. Anembodiment of exercise machine 1 of the invention, allows a user toposition oneself between handholds 6, facing towards the carriage 8. Itis foreseen that in various embodiments of the invention, the user maybe positioned towards the front of the machine, or the back of themachine, as long as the users feet are able to be positioned on thecarriage.

FIG. 3 illustrates user 30 of the exercise machine of an embodiment ofthe invention in the starting position. The user positions the user'sfeet on the carriage 8. After positioning their feet on the carriage,the user then grasps the handholds 6, to support the upper body of theuser. After positioning their hands on the handholds, the user thenflexes user's legs inwardly to cause the carriage to ride along thetrack 2. During use, the user pulls their legs inward towards the user.In the preferred embodiment using wheels to guide the carriage over thetrack, the wheels 9 are held on axle 10 which allows the carriagesurface 16 to pivot as the carriage is moved by the user from position3(a) to position 3(b) at which point the carriage 8 is under the user'sbody, as shown in FIG. 4. The user then proceeds to extend user's legsto move the carriage to position 3(c) at which point the user is in thepush-up position, as illustrated in FIG. 5. As the carriage is movedfrom its initial position, the carriage 8 will pivot on its axle 8 toadjust for the angle between the user's body and the carriage 8position.

It is further foreseen that during the operation of embodiments of theinvention the user can move the carriage only between two of thepositions, such as, for example, between 3(a) and 3(b) back to 3(a). Theuser can also move the carriage from position 3(b) to 3(c) and back to3(b) doing what is commonly called squat thrusts, which againstrengthens and exercises the abdomen and leg muscles. The user can movethe carriage between any two points on the machine to target the desiredmuscle groups.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness, illustration and understanding; but no unnecessarylimitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of theprior art, because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and areintended to be broadly construed. Moreover, this invention has beendescribed in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof,including the respective best modes for carrying out each embodiment. Itshall be understood that these illustrations are by way of example andnot by way of limitation.

1. An exercise machine comprising: at least one track configured toguide a carriage; a carriage configured to travel along said at leastone track wherein said carriage is further configured to accept the feetof a user of said exercise machine, wherein the carriage allows thetravel and the feet are configured to be placed on the carriage surfacewhile travel of the carriage along the track enables the feet to go froma prone position, through a position directly under the body to a supineposition; and two handholds wherein said two handholds are disposed suchthat one handhold is positioned on either side of said at least onetrack, and further wherein said at least two handholds are configured toaccept the hands of the user and are configured to support the weight ofthe user.
 2. The exercise machine of claim 1 which further comprises twosupports, wherein said two supports extend to either side of said trackand connect said at least one track to said two handholds.
 3. Theexercise machine of claim 1 wherein said carriage is configured topivot.
 4. The exercise machine of claim 1 wherein said carriage containsat least one positioner for positioning of a user's foot.
 5. Theexercise machine of claim 1 wherein the track is made up of one or morerails.
 6. The exercise machine of claim 1 wherein the support is affixedto the track.
 7. The exercise machine of claim 1 wherein the handholdshave a clamp to fix the position of the handholds.
 8. The exercisemachine of claim 1 wherein the handholds are adjustable in height. 9.The exercise machine of claim 1 wherein the carriage is configured toallow adjustment of the resistance to the motion of the carriage alongthe track.
 10. An exercise machine comprising: a track configured toguide a carriage; a carriage configured to travel along the track,wherein the carriage allows the travel and a user's feet are configuredto be placed on the carriage surface while travel of the carriage alongthe track enables the feet to go from a prone position, through aposition directly under the body to a supine position; the carriagehaving fasteners and being configured to pivot as it travels along thetrack; a support from the track; and at least two handholds disposedalong the support wherein the at least two handholds are configured tobe moveable to different positions along the support.
 11. The exercisemachine of claim 10 wherein said carriage is configured to pivot. 12.The exercise machine of claim 10 wherein said carriage contains at leastone positioner for positioning of a user's foot.
 13. The exercisemachine of claim 10 wherein the track is made up of one or more rails.14. The exercise machine of claim 10 wherein the support is affixed tothe track.
 15. The exercise machine of claim 10 wherein the handholdshave a clamp to fix the position of the handholds.
 16. The exercisemachine of claim 10 wherein the carriage is configured to allowadjustment of the resistance to the motion of the carriage along thetrack.
 17. An exercise machine comprising: a track configured to guide acarriage; a carriage configured to travel along the track, wherein thecarriage allows the travel and a user's feet are configured to be placedon the carriage surface while travel of the carriage along the trackenables the feet to go from a prone position, through a positiondirectly under the body to a supine position; and the carriage beingconfigured to pivot, handholds mounted on a support.
 18. The exercisemachine of claim 17 wherein the support is tubular metal.
 19. Theexercise machine of claim 18 wherein the support is a tubular metalaffixed to the track.
 20. The exercise machine of claim 1 wherein thecarriage allows travel without support to the buttocks.
 21. The exercisemachine of claim 10 wherein the carriage allows travel without supportto the buttocks.
 22. The exercise machine of claim 17 wherein thecarriage allows travel without support to the buttocks.